Date: April 26, 2025 on Saturday
Venue: India Community Center, Milpitas
Topic: Swami Vivekananda – Ancient Wisdom in Digital Age
Our second event in the celebration of the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s visit to the bay area is scheduled for Saturday, April 26, 2025. It will feature an interaction on ‘Swami Vivekananda: Ancient Wisdom in Digital Age’ between Swami Tyagananda, Hindu Chaplain at Harvard and MIT since 1999 and head of Vedanta Society Boston, and Professor Jeffery D. Long, Carl W. Zeigler Professor of Religion, Philosophy, and Asian Studies at Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA. The discussion will be moderated by Acharya Sundari Jensen, Senior Kriya Yoga Teacher and Executive Director at the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment (CSE)
Dr. Jeffery D. Long is a distinguished scholar and professor of Religion and Asian Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, where he has been teaching since completing his PhD at the University of Chicago Divinity School in 2000.
Dr. Long is a prolific author whose works include: A Vision for Hinduism: Beyond Hindu Nationalism; Jainism: An Introduction; Historical Dictionary of Hinduism; Hinduism: Facts and Fictions; Hinduism in America: A Convergence of Worlds; and Discovering Indian Philosophy. His two forthcoming titles are: Indian Philosophy: The Essential Readings and Arise! Awake! Swami Vivekananda Speaks to the Twenty-first Century. Additionally, he is the editor of Perspectives on Reincarnation: Hindu, Christian, and Scientific and co-editor of the Buddhism and Jainism volumes in the Springer Encyclopedia of Indian Religions.
Dr. Long has contributed an extensive body of academic articles and has delivered lectures at esteemed institutions, including three presentations at the United Nations. His commitment to promoting interfaith understanding has earned him numerous accolades:
- In 2018, the Hindu American Foundation honored him with the Dharma Seva Award for his work in promoting more accurate and culturally sensitive depictions of Hindu traditions in the U.S. educational system and media.
- In 2022, he received the International Ahimsa Foundation’s Ahimsa Award for his work in promoting non-violence through academia.
A devotee of Sri Ramakrishna, Dr. Long is deeply involved with the Vedanta Society in the U.S. He describes his mission as fostering greater peace and understanding through promoting knowledge of the wisdom traditions of India and encouraging compassionate dialogue among people of all worldviews.
Swami Tyagananda is a revered monk of the Ramakrishna Order and the Head of the Vedanta Society in Boston as well as the Hindu Chaplain at both Harvard University and MIT. He joined the Ramakrishna Order in 1976 after graduating from the University of Mumbai. He received spiritual initiation (mantra-dīkṣā) from Swami Vireswarananda, a direct disciple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi.
His monastic training included service in several monasteries, including Mumbai, Belur Math, New Delhi, and Chennai. From 1986 to 1997, he served as the editor of Vedanta Kesari, the Order’s English-language journal, published in Chennai. In 1998, he was assigned to the Boston branch of the Order, assuming its leadership in 2002.
Swami Tyagananda has authored, translated, and edited fourteen books, which include: Looking Deeply: Vivekacūḍāmaṇi of Śrī Śaṅkarācārya; Walking the Walk: A Karma Yoga Manual; Knowing the Knower: A Jñāna Yoga Manual; A Drop of Nectar: Amṛtabindu Upaniṣad; The Essence of the Gita (authored with Swami Saradananda); Interpreting Ramakrishna: Kali’s Child Revisited (authored with Pravrajika Vrajaprana).
He writes a monthly blog, and his talks are available as audio podcasts. He has presented papers at academic conferences and he gives lectures and classes at the Vedanta Society in Boston as well as at MIT, Harvard and, on invitation, other universities and religious organizations in North America. As a chaplain and teacher, Swami Tyagananda works to support spiritual seekers, offering guidance and fostering a deeper understanding of Vedantic philosophy and the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda.
Acharya Sundari Jensen serves as a Senior Kriya Yoga Teacher and Executive Director at the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment (CSE), a Kriya Yoga meditation center in San Jose, California. A student of Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian since 1992, she was initiated into Kriya Yoga in 1999 and ordained in 2002.
With more than 40 years of teaching experience, Acharya Sundari has served on the faculties of Mills College, JFK University, and the Meru Institute, where she now serves as Provost. In her role at Meru Institute, she leads the training of teachers in the Kriya Yoga tradition.
She has also taught yoga philosophy and meditation at institutions such as UC Berkeley, Santa Clara University, and West Valley College and presented at conferences focused on the subject.
She has contributed several articles to CSE’s Enlightenment Journal and has been a guest on the Yoga Hour podcast.
Acharya Sundari regularly leads Sunday satsangs, retreats, and classes, offering programs on Samkhya Philosophy, spiritual practice, and meditation. She is a certified Hatha Yoga teacher, Vedic Counselor, and IAYT-certified Yoga Therapist.
Her dedication to spiritual growth and service continues to inspire and guide individuals on the path of Kriya Yoga.